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The day's news roundup + tonight's musical feature: Big Maybelle

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Hey! Good Evening!

This evening's music features r&b singer Big Maybelle Smith. Enjoy!

^{Big Maybelle - Whole Lotta Shakin´ Goin´ On}

"When you teach your students that it's "economically rational" to commit crimes where the fines for misconduct are lower than the expected return on the crime, you instill a professional ethic that has no room for morals."

-- Cory Doctorow

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News and Opinion

Today In Dystopia: eBay CIA Gangstalkers

Today in dystopia, billionaire corporations and plutocrats can hire trained CIA operatives to psychologically terrorize ordinary citizens who criticize them.

E-commerce giant eBay has just agreed to pay $56 million to settle a lawsuit for damages caused by the company’s shockingly aggressive gangstalking operation against a Massachusetts couple who criticized the company’s wealthy executives on their private website. The Boston Globe reports that in 2019 a former CIA employee who worked as eBay’s global security chief orchestrated a protracted series of psychological operations against the couple, in which “people working for eBay bombarded them with online threats and bizarre deliveries including a bloody pig mask, live spiders, and a funeral wreath.” The operations reportedly also included “following the couple around town and trying to attach a tracker to their car”.

The couple, Ina and David Steiner, came under fire for their criticisms of the fact that eBay’s then-CEO Devin Wenig was paid 152 times more than the typical eBay employee. The Boston Globe reports that Wenig repeatedly told his employees that he wanted to “take her down”, in reference to Ina Steiner.

The full story is about 10x crazier than even this headline implies

They were actually, fully gangstalked on the direct orders of eBay executives

I am not misusing the word "gangstalk" here. It's the only true, verified case of gangstalking that I know of. https://t.co/9BbH6THUXR

— @redaction (@redaction) July 30, 2026

While some eBay employees wound up serving jail time for the abuses, no executives from the company have ever been charged. The Boston Globe reports that Wenig resigned from his position in 2019 after the gangstalking scandal came to light, “keeping $17 million of annual compensation and $40 million of severance.”

If you have enough money in this dystopia, you can get trained spies to target innocent civilians with criminal psyops on your behalf and then walk away free from any meaningful consequences.

Was It A Bluff? — w/ Prof. Robert Pape

Trump backs down on Iran strikes in expectation of ‘rapidly’ reaching a deal

Donald Trump has said he cancelled planned military strikes against Iran on the basis of “rapidly” reaching a deal on its nuclear programme and the full reopening of the strait of Hormuz. The US president paused the strikes in expectation of a breakthrough and in response to requests from Iran and other countries in the region, he claimed on his Truth Social platform on Saturday.

“Based on this request, I have agreed, for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, to cancel the attack, subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL.” Speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said new talks would begin on Monday. The deal would include the immediate and complete reopening of the strait and “an end to Iran’s nuclear threat”, he posted. It marked the latest climbdown from extravagant threats to pound the Islamic Republic in the months-long conflict.

However, hopes of a breakthrough faded on Sunday when Iran’s Mehr news agency said Trump’s claim that Tehran had requested a pause “was nothing but a new lie” and that the Iranian armed forces were “on high alert and ready for any eventuality”. Another Iranian news agency, Fars, citing a source close to Iranian negotiators, said that as long as the US “maintains its hostile actions” the strait would remain closed.

Iran’s acting defence minister, Majid Ebn-e-Reza, said Trump had backed down “within the context of psychological operations and a war of calculations”. Iran’s forces would remain on alert, the minister said on X. “We will neither be taken by surprise nor will we be passive.”

The decision to halt fresh strikes came after the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, called Trump on Saturday to express concerns, it was reported. Trump’s reversal also followed Iranian threats to retaliate decisively against its neighbours in the event of US strikes, while Kuwait reported being hit by Iranian drones on Saturday and two ships were attacked off Oman in the strait of Hormuz. One source described as having knowledge of the Trump-Prince Mohammed call told Axios that the Saudi crown prince had “urged Trump to de-escalate and refrain from launching the strikes”.

Larry Johnson: U.S. CONCEDES to Iran in Secret Talks—But Tehran Fires Back with a Demand

Trump’s Trying to Exert Control With Claim He Canceled Iran Strikes Over Progress on Deal

Trita Parsi, an expert on US-Iranian relations, cast doubt on President Donald Trump’s Saturday claims that he halted planned strikes on Iran due to progress in negotiations to end the illegal conflict, launched by the Republican and Israel in February.

“The U.S.A. is locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran, at levels of Military Terror, Strength, and Power not seen since World War II. Despite this, we have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform at 10:05 pm Eastern time.

“This would include the Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat,” Trump declared—despite repeated conclusions from US intelligence agencies that the Iranian government was not aiming to build a nuclear weapon when the United States and Israel began bombing Iran five months ago.

“Based on this request, I have agreed, for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, to cancel the attack, subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL,” Trump added. “The Country of Israel joins me in this commitment. Get to work, everybody, and get it DONE.”

Sharing the post on the platform X, Parsi said, “Trump ‘cancels’ ‘planned’ ‘attack’ on Iran...” The expert struck a similarly skeptical tone during a Saturday on-air interview with CNN about the president’s announcement.

Parsi, co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said that “I don’t believe there was an imminent attack. We’ve gone through this several times, in which Trump issues these threats, and then he backs off because the other side calls his bluff.”

“Trump does not have an escalatory way out of this conflict, but what he is trying to do is to give the impression that he is in control—that he is in the driving seat,” Parsi suggested. “And I think it’s been quite clear for quite some time now he is not.”

Told @cnn that Trump's claim that he called off strikes because Iran "asked him to" is highly questionable.

It's a narrative designed to give the impression that Trump is in the driving seat in this conflict. It's been clear for some time now: He isn't. pic.twitter.com/r33X0LS91n

— Trita Parsi (@tparsi) August 2, 2026

During Trump’s first term, he tore up the Obama administration’s Iran nuclear deal, and so far, he has been unable to negotiate a replacement. Since launching this war, without authorization from Congress and in violation of the United Nations Charter, the ceasefire agreement reached in April and a June memorandum of understanding ultimately have not stopped the bloodshed.

Earlier this week, most US Senate Republicans and Democratic Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.) blocked yet another war powers resolution intended to prevent the Trump administration from launching further attacks on Iran without congressional approval—a vote that came as polling showed 64% of Americans disapprove of continuing the war, including 37% of Republicans.

The Iran War has killed thousands of Iranians and Lebanese civilians—the latter mostly from Israeli attacks purportedly targeting Hezbollah—as well as hundreds of people in other nations across the Middle East and at least 18 US service members.

In the hours before Trump’s Saturday Truth Social post, Axios revealed that “Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Trump spoke on Saturday, with MBS expressing concern over the strike plans,” and “other regional powers, including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Pakistan, have also pressed the US and Iran to de-escalate.”

CBS chief foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Brennan reported on social media about Saturday’s “flurry of phone calls by Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi to regional leaders, which suggests an effort underway to avoid military strikes.”

“Earlier today, the State Department advised Americans throughout the Mideast to leave the region,” Brennan noted.

Araghchi said Saturday that “any hostile action by the US or Israel—or participation or cooperation by regional countries in such actions—would be met with a decisive and proportionate response from Iran’s powerful armed forces.”

Iran REJECTS Talks After Trump Backs Down

Outrage Builds Over Apparent US Use of 2,000-Pound Bomb on Iranian Family Home

Outrage over another apparent US war crime against Iranian civilians continued to grow over the weekend following New York Times reporting that the United States appears to have dropped a 2,000-pound bomb on a family home in a densely populated neighborhood of Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.

The newspaper spoke with weapons experts who analyzed photos, videos, and satellite imagery of the strike—which, according to Iranian officials, killed taxi driver Qeysar Jafari, his wife Zahra Jafari, and their 2-year-old son Sina, and hospitalized their two surviving children, Mohammad Reza and Mehdi.

While a spokesperson for US Central Command told the Times it is “looking into” reports that the family members were killed in the strike overnight Thursday and “the US military never targets civilians,” Stanford University law professor Tom Dannenbaum outlined the United States’ legal obligations.

“The attacking force must take all feasible precautions to minimize civilian harm, including in its selection of munitions, times of attack and, whenever circumstances allow, by issuing effective advance warnings,” he said. Using a Mark-84 bomb in a crowded area “is very difficult to reconcile with” that.

Some readers and critics of the war highlighted Dannenbaum’s comments while sharing the report on social media.

Former longtime Human Rights Watch leader Kenneth Roth similarly said: “Why did the US military drop a huge 2,000-pound bomb in a densely populated residential area in Iran? It is very hard to reconcile that use with the legal requirement to avoid disproportionate harm to civilians.”

We dropped a 2,000 lb bomb on someone’s house on Qeshm Island. https://t.co/PMwWV1U7xg

— Krystal Ball (@krystalball) August 1, 2026

Journalist Rania Khalek denounced the attack as “barbaric savagery by soulless ghouls,” while Nader Hashemi, director of the Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, condemned it “a clear WAR CRIME.”

Responding to Hashemi, Barbara Slavin, a George Washington University lecturer and Stimson Center distinguished fellow, said that “we are becoming more like Israel every day.”

Trita Parsi, co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, explained that “for years, Israel was using [2,000-pound] American bombs to kill Gazan refugees in tents. Both the Biden and Trump administrations permitted it. A precedent was set. Now it appears the US is doing the same in Iran.”

“A [2,000-pound] bomb was dropped on a family house in Qeshm, killing a taxi driver (the father), the mother, and a 2-year-old, according to The New York Times,” he continued. “Yes, a taxi driver. And a toddler. And his mother. ”The Times found no indication of a military site near the family’s home or any reports of military casualties from the strike.“

Congratulations to the incompetent American government. You conclusively showed the 2,000 pound Mark-84 bomb can flatten a home killing a taxi driver, his wife and his son and hospitalize 2 orphans. Bravo. Be Best. https://t.co/6yqQ6FhQYi pic.twitter.com/KJPHOd9SLe

— Raghu Venugopal MD (@raghu_venugopal) August 1, 2026

Cory Archibald, co-founder of Track AIPAC, which documents spending by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and related groups, stressed to people in the US, “That’s what our government spends money on instead of giving you healthcare.”

US General: CHOOSE Between Israel and HOMELAND

U.S. general warns Pentagon he lacks sufficient forces to protect Israel

The top U.S. general in Europe privately warned the Pentagon this week that he lacks sufficient naval forces to continue protecting Israel from incoming ballistic missiles, officials said, illustrating how the ongoing Iran war has imposed constraints on the military.

Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the head of U.S. European Command, sent written notification to senior Pentagon officials saying that without another Navy destroyer he will be forced to choose defense of the United States “homeland” over that of Israel, said the officials, who like some others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the correspondence.

U.S. naval destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean Sea have been employed as a part of Israel’s defense for many years. The vessels, equipped with powerful radar and armed with an array of missiles, have downed missiles aimed at Israel not only by Iran, but by Houthi militants in Yemen that are equipped by Tehran.

European Command is central to this mission, as it coordinates military operations in the Mediterranean. At the same time, its forces must remain ready for any Russian incursion into territory protected by the NATO military alliance. Russia also poses a ballistic missile threat to the United States, with missiles capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.

The Navy has five destroyers that deploy from a U.S. port in Rota, Spain, with a sixth expected to arrive there later this year, Pentagon officials have said. But maintenance issues have piled up due to the Iran war’s tempo, complicating matters for Grynkewich, officials said. The Washington Post withheld specific details about the ships’ availability at the request of military officials, who cited security concerns.

Prof. Jeffrey Sachs - US Wants to Destroy Iran and Russia

IDF Closes Investigation Into Brutal 2023 Settler Attack on Palestinians Without Charges

As the Israeli government faces increasing scrutiny for its enabling of settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, the Israel Defense Forces has reportedly closed an investigation into one of the most brutal assaults documented in recent memory. Nobody has been charged.

Haaretz reported on Friday that the Military Advocate General’s Office has closed its investigation into an incident from October 12, 2023, in which about two dozen armed settlers attacked the village of Wadi as-Seeq, about 10 miles east of Ramallah, where most residents had been driven out by violence by a nearby Israeli outpost.

Three Palestinian men who’d remained in the village to help evacuate the local Bedouin community were detained by the gang of Israelis, who they said tortured them for hours, stripping them naked, beating them, urinating on them, burning them with cigarettes, and sexually abusing them.

Several Israeli peace activists also said they were attacked during the incident and corroborated much of the testimony of the Palestinian victims.

A photo of the three men stripped, bound, and blindfolded quickly made international headlines and drew condemnation from human rights organizations and even some pro-Israel groups like the US-based Israel Policy Forum, which called the reports “sickening and inexcusable.”

Israel closes case into brutal 2023 torture of Palestinians by soldiers and settlers, no one charged

The Israeli military has closed its investigation into a ruthless 2023 assault on three Palestinians in the occupied West Bank without charging anyone, according to a… pic.twitter.com/aoKZsimw3X

— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) July 31, 2026

The military prosecutor’s office apparently found it very excusable. According to Haaretz:

The Military Advocate General’s Office decided that the evidence collected did not establish the involvement of specific soldiers to the standard required for criminal prosecution.

The decision was made even though, following the initial publication, several soldiers who were present at the scene—including the unit’s commander—were dismissed.

The soldiers were from the IDF Desert Frontier unit, a unit that recruits “hilltop youth,” radical and often violent settler youths from illegal West Bank outposts. Some of the victims said that settlers also took part in the assault alongside the soldiers.

The dismissal of the case comes amid what the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) described as “an unprecedented surge in settler-related violence” this year, particularly this summer. June saw a record 460 settler-related attacks, and the trend has continued into July, with 360 documented incidents between July 1-24.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights warned on Wednesday that settler violence was at an “all-time high,” noting that 18 Palestinians have been killed so far this year in incidents linked to settler attacks, more than the 17 who were killed all of last year.

The Israeli government, meanwhile, approved over $430 million to establish 34 new settlements in the West Bank earlier this year.

Israeli settlers set fire to Palestinian beehives in the village of Kafr Qaddum, east of Qalqilya, damaging a vital source of income for local beekeepers.

The attack destroyed beehives belonging to Palestinian farmers, adding to a series of reported settler attacks on… pic.twitter.com/GRNLklGzZL

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) July 31, 2026

“The increase is part of a broader upward trend in settler violence that has been developing since 2023 but has accelerated significantly in 2026,” said Nasser Khdour, Middle East Assistant Research Manager at ACLED. “Recorded incidents include attacks on Palestinians and their property, land seizures, looting activities, uprooting trees, grazing on Palestinian land, and clashes with Palestinians.”

As The Times of Israel noted on Friday: “Israel has largely failed to crack down on such attacks, with arrests rare, indictments even rarer, and convictions almost unheard of. The current government has been accused of turning a blind eye to the phenomenon or even tacitly supporting it.”

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that he approved detention without charge or trial only for Palestinians, but not for Israeli settlers. He said the actions of settlers are not "terror" as they are not acting against the State of Israel. pic.twitter.com/d8I7tBqC76

— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) July 30, 2026

Members of the IDF have often been documented either directly participating in the violence or providing protection to settlers who are.

Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed during a CNN interview that his government was working hard to bring violent settlers to justice and conducting “real investigations.”

But he also minimized the problem of settler violence that has become rampant, boiling it down to about “150 or so juvenile delinquents” causing mayhem while stating that they don’t represent the broader settler community.

There have been no reported charges coming from this month’s deadly attacks, which have resulted in the deaths of at least eight Palestinians and many more injuries, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

A Guardian analysis on July 21 found that Israel has not once prosecuted any of its citizens for killing a Palestinian in the West Bank at any point this decade.

Richard Wolff: Why Europe's Leaders Provoke War with Russia

Russia Smashes Key Odessa Bridge; Captures Bely Kolodez Kharkov Defence Collapses; Saudi Rages At US

Freelance New York Times reporter subpoenaed over reporting on failed US mission in North Korea

The Trump administration subpoenaed a freelance reporter for the New York Times in connection with reporting on a failed top secret mission in North Korea, according to a report published Saturday by the Times. The previously unreported subpoena, issued by prosecutors in Virginia, was delivered by FBI agents to reporter Matthew Cole’s home in New York, the Times said. According to the newspaper, prosecutors are demanding that Cole turn over two years of contacts and sources.

Cole “has dedicated his professional life to bringing official misconduct to light and informing the public about the workings of its government”, his lawyer, David A O’Neil, said in a statement, adding that his client “will not be intimidated from continuing that important work. He will defend press freedom and the first amendment from this administration’s brazen attacks on journalists, and he will honor his commitment to his sources.”

The revelation comes as the Trump administration has intensified its broader campaign against what it describes as unauthorized disclosures to the press. Last month, the New York Times reported that its journalists had been subpoenaed as part of a leak investigation tied to reporting about issues involving the aircraft Trump received as a gift from Qatar. The justice department later withdrew those subpoenas.

Trump has insisted that the investigations are focused on officials leaking information rather than members of the press, telling reporters: “We’re not after journalists. We’re after leakers.”

Trump offering early access to online posts in move seen as corruption

Donald Trump is now offering early access to his Truth Social posts in a move that has been seen as corruption benefitting a sitting president. Trump Media and Technology Group officially rolled out its new subscription-based data service on Saturday, giving paying customers faster, real-time access to Truth Social posts from Trump and other high-profile accounts.

Called Truth API, the application programming interface is intended to provide businesses with “a direct, licensed, real-time feed of the platform’s most market-moving Truths”, interim CEO Kevin McGurn said in a release announcing the launch. Trading firms and other paying subscribers can now access the posts earlier than other users – for a fee of up to $100,000 per month.

The new offering mirrors similar paid data services available on competing social media platforms, though with a particularly steep price tag. However, Truth Social stands apart because its most influential user is Trump, who is also the largest shareholder of the publicly traded parent company, meaning he could personally benefit from the service.

Although the announcement does not specifically mention Trump, his @realDonaldTrump account is by far the platform’s largest. He frequently uses it to announce major policy decisions before making them elsewhere. As of Saturday, the account had 13 million followers.

Capital One says it closed Trump Organization’s accounts after anti-money-laundering review

Capital One Financial hit back on Friday against a lawsuit over its ⁠decision to close the Trump ⁠Organization’s bank accounts ​years ago, stating that it did so after a review by anti-money-laundering experts.

The disclosure marks the first time a bank has formally tied money-laundering concerns to Donald Trump’s family business. Capital One is seeking to dismiss the case by casting doubt on claims of illegally debanking – or denying services on religious or political grounds – the Trump Organization.

Capital One has never accused the Trump Organization of money laundering. ​But Friday’s filing argues that “documents and Plaintiffs’ own ‌allegations make clear that Capital One closed ‌Plaintiffs’ accounts for anti-money laundering (‘AML’) reasons. The closures were the result of months of analysis and a careful review by ‌Capital One’s AML team in accordance with bank policies and regulatory guidance.” Capital One gave notice of its plans to close more than 300 Trump-affiliated bank accounts in March 2021.

The Trump Organization and Eric Trump, the president’s son, filed a lawsuit in March 2025 in a Florida federal court, alleging the accounts were closed because of Capital One’s “woke” beliefs and its desire to benefit from the political mood after the 6 January 2021 riot at the US Capitol.

Capital One said in Friday’s filing that the Trump Organization’s allegations of political pretext were “misguided” and “based on cherry-picked quotations unsupported by the full context” of documents submitted to the court. “The transaction patterns identified by Capital One are among the types of activity flagged by federal banking guidance,” the filing said.

Family to sue after woman released from ICE custody froze to death

The family of a Haitian immigrant who froze to death in early March at a bus shelter in Pittsburgh after she was dropped off in the city by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is poised to file a lawsuit this month against the United States and “multiple other governmental and non-governmental entities”, the Guardian has learned. Daphy Michel, 31, had been in county jail for six months after a reported mental health crisis and street incident, and then was arrested by ICE before being released with a ankle monitor.

She was left to make her way home to Charleroi, a small community on the outskirts of Pittsburgh about 20 miles (32km) away, but was found dead three days later. In June, Pennsylvania officials said she died from hypothermia and ruled her death a homicide. The Allegheny county medical examiner’s office said Michel was a vulnerable adult “suffering from untreated severe mental health issues and a significant language barrier” at the time of her release from federal custody on 27 February.

Attorney Joseph Murphy, who represents members of Michel’s family living locally, said this week that the lawsuit will be filed within the next two to three weeks. He had said at the time of the homicide ruling that relatives in the US were likely to sue. “Anybody who knew Daphy for more than one minute knew there was something wrong with her. It was a real dumb thing to just release her like that in February in Pittsburgh, where it’s very cold, knowing how screwed up she was. It was a very bad judgment call,” Murphy said.

Relatives and the attorney believe that ICE did not grasp the risks Michel faced being released alone on a city street that was probably unfamiliar to her, especially given the state of her health. The morning she was found unresponsive, she was wearing summer clothes and the temperature was just 20F (-6.6C). There are few details available about the lawsuit so far, including the identities of plaintiffs and defendants. The medical examiner’s office explained in a statement that its ruling of homicide should not be interpreted as a declaration of criminal guilt but as “actions caused by another individual”. Pittsburgh detectives are now investigating.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the parent agency of ICE, did not respond this week to questions from the Guardian about the impending lawsuit, Michel’s time in its custody or her death. In March, the agency posted a statement on X saying it had “nothing to do with this woman’s death”. It called Michel an illegal alien, although Murphy said she entered the US legally, was awarded humanitarian status and had an asylum application in process.

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Haley Stevens UNRAVELS as AIPAC Fails Hard in Michigan Primary

Democrats face most contentious – and crucial – test yet with Michigan primary

The Michigan primary is, perhaps, the most contentious Democratic primary this year – and a test for the party’s future. Voters are weighing the policies and personalities of the candidates as they once again consider the thorny question of electability: who can win this purple state in November, and potentially push the party towards a majority in the Senate?

Recent surveys have shown El-Sayed pulling ahead. A nonpartisan Emerson poll this week of likely Democratic voters found 54% intended to vote for El-Sayed compared to 39% for Stevens, with a stark age divide. Voters under 50 broke for El-Sayed by 42 percentage points, while voters over 60 preferred Stevens by a 14-point margin, it showed. Independents were siding with El-Sayed by a 27-point margin.

Stevens, 43, has represented Michigan’s 11th House district since 2019, after flipping the seat. She has been endorsed by Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer and Gary Peters, the retiring senator who holds the seat she and El-Sayed, 41, are now running for. El-Sayed, an epidemiologist who served in health director roles in Detroit and its county, counts leading progressive officials among his supporters, including US senators Elizabeth Warren and Chris Van Hollen, who rallied with him in Michigan last weekend alongside a host of representatives and former elected officials.

El-Sayed, often mentioned alongside democratic socialists who have won a string of party primaries ahead of this year’s US midterm elections, is not himself a democratic socialist: he says he is a “capitalist who understands how capitalism works”, and wants to regulate monopolies and oligopolies. But the race has become a key focal point in the rise of the left flank of the Democratic party, and its potential limits – especially after a wave of wins in solidly blue districts across the country.

More than $40m has poured into the race from outside groups supporting Stevens or attacking El-Sayed, including from groups associated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), a pro-Israel lobby. AdImpact shows more than $60m in ad reservations and spending to benefit Stevens. Misleading ads have attacked El-Sayed for “disrespecting women” while tying Stevens to Barack Obama, who has not endorsed in the race, but previously praised Stevens’ work on the auto industry rescue plan. The Obama connection sits prominently in the minds of some Black voters in Michigan, who cite Stevens’ work with the former US president as key to their vote in the primary.

Are Black Americans FINALLY Ready to Ditch The Corporate Democrats? (w/ Yvette Carnell)

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California’s Biggest AI Data Center Is Suing for Colorado River Water

The developer behind California's biggest planned AI data center publicly swore it would never touch Colorado River water. It would run on recycled wastewater — clean, virtuous, zero environmental impact. That pledge held right up until the cities of Imperial and El Centro said no thanks. Now Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing (IVCM) has sued the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) for access to the very river it promised to leave alone. The facility would sit in a desert valley where 180,000 people share exactly one freshwater source.

The developer's playbook relies on a tactic called "buy and dry" — purchasing irrigated farmland, retiring it from production, then claiming its water allocation for industrial use.

This lawsuit is being closely watched as a test of whether AI infrastructure can systematically access agricultural water through land acquisition — a precedent the entire Colorado River Basin has reason to follow. More than 200 environmental groups have called for a nationwide pause on data center construction, according to KPBS.

Britain could face food shortages as drought continues, farmers warn

Britain could face shortages of certain foods after punishing drought in parts of England, the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has warned as a heatwave was forecast to continue into next week. The UK’s Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued heat health alerts for eight regions of England, with temperatures set to rise above 30C in parts of the country.

Farms across the country were affected by floods over the winter, making planting extremely difficult, and now in many areas they do not have access to water as irrigation is being restricted due to drought. It is the third drought in five years and farming groups say this is the new normal for agriculture in Britain. Wheat farmers say their crop is half its normal height, and England is seeing its earliest ever harvest as farmers battle to salvage what they can of their produce.

In some areas it has not rained for over a month, while multiple record-breaking heatwaves have hit the country since early summer, drying out the soil. Tom Bradshaw, the NFU president, said this could lead to food shortages and he had asked the prime minister to take action. He told BBC Radio 4 that farmers should be given tax breaks to build water storage systems on their land to prepare for the years ahead.

“Those other countries around the world that we currently rely on to produce our food and vegetables, their climates are changing as well,” he said. “It does feel like there is going be some shortages of [food] products.” Climate breakdown is exacerbating extreme weather conditions such as droughts. This summer the Met Office has reported that England had just 8% of its average rainfall for July and it is likely to be confirmed as the driest July on record.

Anthony Hopkins, the AHDB’s (Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board) director of cereals and oilseeds, said: “Across much of the UK, combines have been rolling earlier than usual this year, with many farmers working through the night to avoid the most extreme daytime temperatures. Cereal yields have generally been below the 10-year average so far, with some farms experiencing significant reductions. Following successive years of difficult weather and rising costs, the financial pressures are becoming increasingly acute for those businesses hardest hit.”

South Korea records its highest ever temperature

South Korea has registered its highest temperature since records began more than a century ago, as authorities warned people to “immediately” stop all outdoor activities in affected areas. The south-eastern city of Yangsan saw the temperature reach 42.5C on Sunday afternoon, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said, the highest temperature reported since modern weather observation began in 1904.

Yangsan has been the centre of an ongoing heatwave, where temperatures exceeded 40C for a fifth consecutive day on Sunday, while many other cities including Daegu and Busan are seeing temperatures climb into the high 30s. People gathered in airconditioned shopping malls or cafes to escape the blistering temperatures.

More than 20 localities were under emergency heatwave alerts on Sunday – a new warning category introduced this year to better address rising temperatures. An emergency alert is issued when areas experiencing a heatwave are forecast to hit perceived temperatures of 38C or an actual temperature of 39C for the day.

KMA data show the average annual number of heatwave days in the country has more than doubled to 19 in the past five years.

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Also of Interest

Here are some articles of interest, some of which defied fair-use abstraction.

Jonathan Cook: Israel’s ICC Scalp

War On Iran: – U.S. (Again) Blocks Strait Traffic

Araghchi warns against support for US military operations

USDA Agribusiness Integration With Israel Subsidizes Settler Expansionism

Party elites so blind they can't see their base turning against the war

SpaceX’s Rug Pull Is Making Me Laugh

‘Keep Bribing Him Forever’: Critics Appalled at New Details of Trump’s Corporate Shakedowns

Colorado declares town abandoned amid water and leadership crisis

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A Little Night Music

Big Maybelle – Ring Dang Dilly

Big Maybelle - Mama (He Treats Your Daughter Mean)

Big Maybelle - Ramblin' Blues

Big Maybelle - A Good Man Is Hard To Find

Big Maybelle - One Monkey Don't Stop The Show

Big Maybelle - I've Got A Feeling

Big Maybelle - Quitting Time

Big Maybelle - Ocean of tears

Big Maybelle – Rockhouse

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